Chapter 3 : The Truth

Alexander, dressed in sleepwear and bare-chested, had just finished taking a shower. He was drying his hair with a towel as he walked toward the bed. He looked completely calm, with no trace of guilt on his face despite having entered the bedroom of his father's new wife.

"I came to see my wife. Am I not allowed to see my wife?"

"My wife? Who's your wife?" Anna asked in confusion.

By now, she had retreated to the far corner of the bed, wrapped tightly in a blanket.

"You're my wife. Not my father's," Alex replied calmly.

He sat down on the bed, leaving some distance between them. He knew Anna was probably afraid of him.

"I'll explain everything now. But you have to promise me you won't scream."

Anna silent for a moment before nodding.

"First, you have to believe that magic exists."

Anna shocked. “Are you joking, now?”

But Anna didn’t ask her question and still quiet for a moment.

"What do you mean, Lex?" Anna asked then.

Alex immediately raised his right hand and brushed it across his face from right to left.

Anna froze.

The person sitting before her was no longer Alex.

It was Chandra.

Alex had transformed into Chandra.

Anna rubbed her eyes repeatedly, unable to believe what she was seeing. Alex smiled before brushing his hand across his face once more, returning to his original appearance.

"I knew you'd be shocked. That's why I asked you not to scream."

"How am I supposed not to be shocked, Lex? You just turned into your father! For a second, I thought I was drunk. But that's impossible—I didn't touch any of the alcohol today," Anna said.

She was desperately trying to process what had just happened. In this modern era, magic actually existed—the kind of magic she had only ever heard about in fairy tales.

"Humans aren't the only one living in this world. There are other races as well. And yes, magic is real."

Alex stood up and walked to the mini fridge. He took out a bottle of water and handed it to her.

Anna drank the water and still silent.

Alex understood that she needed time to organize her thoughts.

While waiting, he walked over to the vanity table, picked up a hair dryer, and finished drying his hair.

"Lex..." Anna finally called Alex after his hair done.

She patted the empty space on the bed, signalling for him to sit in front of her.

Once he sat down, Anna pinched her own arm so hard.

"Ouch... That hurt. So, I'm not dreaming."

Then, she looked at him seriously.

"Then why did you disguise yourself as your father and marry me?"

"My father arranged our marriage. He wanted me to marry you."

"But why, Alex? Why did Uncle Chandra pretend he was the one who wanted to marry me? Why didn't he simply say that I was meant to be your bride? And... of all people, why did he choose me?"

"Honestly, I don't know either. But what I do know is that you're one of our kind—one of the Sea Folk."

"Me? A Sea Folk? And you too?"

"Yes. You're descended from the Sea Folk. I just don't know which clan you belong to yet."

"If you don't know that, how can you be sure I'm the same as you?"

"Your natural scent. The scent of the sea."

Alex smiled faintly.

"Since you've lived on land since birth, you can't tell the difference. But I was born in the sea. Whenever I meet humans, they smell different."

"But I'm part of the Sanjaya family. I'm their niece. Are they Sea Folk too?"

"No... They're ordinary humans. It's possible that you're a half-blood. Sanjaya's sister may have been human, while your father was Sea Folk."

"Then what did Uncle Chandra want from this arranged marriage?"

Alex shook his head.

"I don't know."

He lowered his gaze briefly.

"My father passed away before I could ask him any further questions. The only thing he told me was that we had to get married. I trusted that he would never lead me toward an enemy, so I accepted the marriage."

Anna’s chest suddenly hurts after hearing the bad news.

"Alex… I… I'm sorry. I didn't know Uncle Chandra had passed away."

"It's alright..."

Alex looked at her gently.

"So, what do you want to do now? I've known you since we were children. I know you don't like being forced into things. I'll let you decide whether you want to continue this marriage and become part of my family... or leave."

Anna fell silent.

She had never expected to be given a choice.

"If you choose to continue this marriage, you'll have to come with me to the Sea Dragon Kingdom. I can't stay here. Robert will handle the affairs on land. The matters of the kingdom are far more important."

"Wait... the Sea Dragon Kingdom? What do you mean?"

"I'm the prince of the Sea Dragon Clan."

Alex paused before continuing.

"My father was the Dragon King. Since he's gone, I've become the king now. We maintain a presence in both worlds as a precaution against future threats, ensuring that our people always have a place to seek refuge."

Anna pressed a hand against her forehead.

"My head hurts. I feel like I've received too much information tonight. Can I think about all this first?"

"Of course, take your time."

Alex nodded.

"But please don't take too long. I need to return soon. And if you decide not to continue our marriage, I'd still like you to consider staying here and helping Robert."

He smiled.

"You're smart, and Robert would be happy receiving your help."

He hesitated before adding…

"Besides, while we're legally married in the human world, a Dragon King's marriage is only recognized after vows are made before the Gods. In a sense, you haven't truly become my wife yet. You still have a choice."

"I understand. I'll think about it carefully."

Anna paused before speaking again.

"But... what are we supposed to do now? I don't have any clothes. Your housekeeper only gave me this outfit."

"What do you mean?" Alex don’t understand, Anna wrapped tightly in the blanket.

But… When Anna lowered the blanket, Alex looked puzzled.

A few seconds later, his face turned bright red as realization dawned on him.

The housekeeper must have assumed tonight was their wedding night and had prepared the outfit accordingly.

"I've asked the maid to prepare your stuff. Unfortunately, I heard they won't arrive until tomorrow morning."

Alex quickly stood up.

"For now, I'll leave so you can rest comfortably."

Alex was so flustered that he immediately left the room.

A smile spread across Anna's face.

It seemed that Alex was still as considerate as he had always been.

Once he was truly gone, Anna removed the blanket from her body. She still couldn't believe that any of this was real.

Alex was the Dragon King.

And she herself was part of the Sea Folk.

"That means... I'm worthy of standing by his side, right?" she murmured shyly.

Valencia wasn't the only one who had fallen for Alex long ago.

Anna had loved him too.

Alex was the person closest to her throughout her childhood. She had grown up beside him and entered the early years of adolescence with her eyes constantly drawn to him.

Secretly, she had always been delighted that Alex never showed any interest in Valencia.

While attending school, Anna spent most of her time studying and helping manage the Sanjaya family's business.

Many men had confessed to her over the years, and she had rejected every single one of them.

None of them could compare to Alex.

Handsome, intelligent, gentle, and unfailingly polite.

He was the kind of man who seemed to step straight out of a Korean drama—the definition of “perfect”.

Although Anna and Alex rarely saw each other because he lived in Singapore, he always made time to visit.

Anna couldn't even remember when her feelings for him had begun.

It hadn't been loving at first sight.

But Alex had been her first love.

And even now, it had never changed.

The distance between them and their lack of communication had never been enough to shake her feelings.

When she first learned that she was supposed to marry Chandra, she had been devastated.

If that marriage had truly happened, she would have become the stepmother of the man she loved.

The truth Alex had revealed tonight sounded almost too wonderful to be real.

More than anything, Anna hoped she wasn't dreaming.